Zaccaria Pinball - update v3.5 [iOS/Android]

[Baron Rubik]

Oooo - come on Daneman, don't compare TPAs railroad physics to Zacc's. Ask have their own house physics genius.
I don't play TPA anymore since Zacc released on Android. 1hr marathons aren't realistic, fun or something I have time for. And no I am not a great or even good player.

Adjustable is always better than non adjustable IMO. With adjustable you can please everyone if they put a little work in. Non adjustable - you're lucky if one persons happy.

Zacc have already catered for those who don't want to tinker through both Arcade and Simulation setting. Just avoid the custom.

 

[PBallGizard]

I've found the difficulty of tables has increased recently and I'm playing a lot less than I was.

Me too, but I think the new graphic settings are equally to blame. I didn't realize until now how much I was compelled to play due to the gorgeous graphics.

It used to be that I would painstakingly play each table multiple times after an update in order to root out any new problems. With the new slingshots and graphics, I'm less inclined to play.

I've also noticed a recurrence of a problem that I have not seen since before the first major physics overhaul. The ball sometimes acts erratically when tossed (or fumbled) from tip to tip between the flippers.

Another problem that I encounter quite often but have not seen any mention of is that sometimes when the ball hits a rubber stopper, it will stick to the stopper for a second or two before bouncing away. The ball continues spinning, the lights continue flashing in rhythm, so it's not a slowdown or stuttering problem. It's more like the ball pauses to calculate the proper trajectory before continuing. This happens on multiple tables, but doesn't happen so often that it becomes annoying to me. I first noticed this issue with the new physics a few versions back.

 

[daneman20]

Hey Baron, I get what you are saying and I think you make some good points. I do not mean to say that ASK should use a copy of TPA, I was using them as the standard of how they have created balance. I personally do not favor custom settings for two reasons: 1. Real tables do not have the ability to to switch settings based on skill level. Everyone has the same circumstances. Real tables were developed with that idea. 2. Custom settings makes tournament play almost impossible since there is no level playing field. It seems to me that in order to achieve what I am suggesting, individual tables need tweaked to increase playability by all skill levels. Just my opinion. I think that this can be done while maintaining most of the unique physics that ASK has created.

 

[Baron Rubik]

Hey Baron, I get what you are saying and I think you make some good points. I do not mean to say that ASK should use a copy of TPA, I was using them as the standard of how they have created balance. I personally do not favor custom settings for two reasons: 1. Real tables do not have the ability to to switch settings based on skill level. Everyone has the same circumstances. Real tables were developed with that idea. 2. Custom settings makes tournament play almost impossible since there is no level playing field. It seems to me that in order to achieve what I am suggesting, individual tables need tweaked to increase playability by all skill levels. Just my opinion. I think that this can be done while maintaining most of the unique physics that ASK has created.

I just can't understand why people who don't want custom settings can't just leave the custom settings alone. Play using either Arcade or Simulation mode and request changes be made to the default settings of those modes.
Don't request to take away an existing, much valued feature. Just don't use it.

In regards custom physics settings per table , I personally no longer think they are required since recent builds where tables that were exceptions have now been brought within normal behaviours like pinball champ.
I rarely change my physics settings now no matter which table played, whearas it did used to change dependant on table.
I wouldn't want the hassle of setting each table individually personally.

 

[daneman20]

For two thirds of the tables, the physics work pretty good. Play mystic star, fire mountain, lucky fruit, or space shuttle. There are a few more. Count the number of times that you need to nudge in order to prevent a drain. These are older tables meaning that if you nudge more than twice, most likely you would tilt the real ones. With these recreations, there is no such consequence, yet even the best players would have to nudge it constantly to keep it from draining. The entire strategy for those tables is to keep it from draining. Nothing else. Period. My guess is that since the developers did not have the real tables to copy at their disposal, some fundamental mistakes in design exist? Also, it would likely be very time consuming to redesign those tables. That leaves tweaking the physics for those tables as the only other viable option for making them even remotely competitive.

 

[74-89]

For two thirds of the tables, the physics work pretty good. Play mystic star, fire mountain, lucky fruit, or space shuttle. There are a few more. Count the number of times that you need to nudge in order to prevent a drain. These are older tables meaning that if you nudge more than twice, most likely you would tilt the real ones. With these recreations, there is no such consequence, yet even the best players would have to nudge it constantly to keep it from draining. The entire strategy for those tables is to keep it from draining. Nothing else. Period. My guess is that since the developers did not have the real tables to copy at their disposal, some fundamental mistakes in design exist? Also, it would likely be very time consuming to redesign those tables. That leaves tweaking the physics for those tables as the only other viable option for making them even remotely competitive.

I play in Arcade mode which might partly explain why I've managed a few scores up near 1,500,000 on Mystic Star lately. The bonus special on that table is really cool. Likewise for Fire Mountain, with lower scores but bonuses achieved. Space Shuttle was really bad before the recent updates, nudging required to keep the ball in play after each launch. Now it seems ok to me.

Lucky Fruit is one table that seems to drain too often. Not sure if that's a design flaw or if it was intended to be super difficult. Universe is much harder, and I still haven't managed a score above 100,000 on that table. Both tables are addictive.

I believe ASK has access to real versions of Fire Mountain and Space Shuttle. I'm pretty sure they don't have a Mystic Star since they asked for materials on that specific table. Don't know about the others, but I don't think they are just throwing anything together VP style, meaning that playfield dimensions and object placement are fairly exact. I think.

Some of tables were designed to be more difficult. Particularly with the gen 1 machines and older, you get playfields that focus on different skills and aiming strategies, which is one of the things I really like about Zaccs. And then we get the additional filter of these being digital recreations of those tables.

It's interesting how the dynamics of each table change with each set of updates, and I'm starting to see that as an element adding to the fun. Locomotion is really hard now, but Soccer Kings is much easier. Space Shuttle is no longer the hardest table. Farfalla and Winter Sports are a little easier than they used to be. Time Machine is a little harder, etc.

 

[PBallGizard]

It appears that the Reflection fX are no longer functioning.